


canard rampant

by ThirtySixSaveFiles



Category: Uncharted (Video Games), Uncharted 4 - Fandom
Genre: Alcohol, Gen, Pirate AU, Tattoos, as per usual, shhhh just come, the Drake brothers make poor decisions, yes an uncharted 4 pirate au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-14
Updated: 2017-01-14
Packaged: 2018-09-17 09:54:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9318086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThirtySixSaveFiles/pseuds/ThirtySixSaveFiles
Summary: Everyone knows thatdrakemeans dragon, right? Well. Almost everyone.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of a Pirate AU that [jilldrawblog](http://jilldrawblog.tumblr.com) and I are working on. She mentioned tattooed sailor Sam and this just kind of fell out.

In the history of all of the ideas the Drake brothers have had, this is by far the  _ best _ . Nathan can’t remember right now if it was Sam’s idea or his; all he knows is that this is going to be  _ fantastic,  _ and he can’t imagine why they didn’t do this years ago.

“I’m telling you, Nathan,” Sam takes another pull from the bottle in his hand and passes it over. His arm is heavy on Nathan’s shoulder as they head out of the tavern and across the street. “The ladies love the ink.  _ Your _ lady is going to love the ink, I promise, and when,  _ when _ , I ask you, have I  _ ever _ led you astray?”

Nathan frowns as the night air hits them, still warm and sticky with the day’s heat. That feels - that  _ feels _ like a trick question, but Nathan can’t think of the right answer. Maybe some more rum will help. This stuff is rotgut, Nathan knows, but it’s strange - it actually gets  _ better _ the further down the bottle they get. Maybe the good stuff sinks to the bottom?

Wait, Sam had asked him a question. Nathan swallows another mouthful and the burn of alcohol clears something in his brain, because the answer comes to him: “Never, Sam,” he proclaims confidently. “You have  _ never  _ led me astray.”

“Goddamn right, I haven’t,” Sam says as he pushes open the door marked ‘Ink On Demand: Payment First.’ “This is a  _ great _ idea.”

The tattooist doesn’t seem to think so, but what does he know. “You’re sure that’s what you want?”

“Of  _ course _ we’re sure,” Sam scoffs. “It’s okay; it’s our name, right? That’s what makes it okay. That’s what makes it  _ great _ .” Nathan nods enthusiastically in agreement, then grabs Sam’s shoulder when the room tilts unaccountably.

The old man shrugs. “Suit yourself.” He holds out a hand. “Payment first.”

Between the two of them they’ve got enough to cover two matching tattoos, and as Nathan takes his shirt off and settles into the chair, he congratulates himself - or Sam, or whoever it was - on such a stroke of genius.

* * *

The next thing Nathan remembers is opening his eyes and instantly wishing for death.

The morning sun is slanting cruelly through the window of their rented room, stabbing directly into Nathan’s brain. He sits up gingerly, cradling his head in his hands, and next to him Sam groans and rolls over. Sam's shirt is off, which is weird, and he’s got a bandage around his middle, and hey, Nathan knows what that means. Nathan’s always been faintly jealous of Sam’s tattoos, but he’s never been able to settle on a design he liked well enough while they were in port to get one of his own. Sam, though, Sam seemed to pick up a new one every couple of months, and Nathan reaches over to poke his brother awake, and make him show Nathan his new ink -

Nathan’s side twinges, and he looks down in surprise to see a matching set of bandages wrapped around himself.

Well. Looks like he finally took the plunge - now if he could only remember what it looked like. Nathan unwraps the bandages carefully, holding his breath to see what had apparently captured his imagination enough to permanently etch it into his skin.

Nathan blinks, then tilts his head. Maybe from another angle -

“Sam.” Nathan shakes his brother hard, ignoring Sam’s irritated grunt. “ _ Sam _ . Sam, wake up and tell me what this is.”

Sam sits up reluctantly. “Tell you  _ what _ ,” he grumps, rubbing his eyes.

“ _ This,”  _ Nathan says frantically, pointing at the still-tender skin.

It takes Sam a minute to focus, and then when he does he frowns, staring at Nathan’s side. Then he grins, in confirmation of Nathan’s worst fears.

“Well, Nathan,” he says, sounding more awake every minute. “That looks like a  _ duck.  _ Why’d you get a  _ waterfowl _ tattooed on you, huh? You have something you want to tell me, little brother?”

“Very funny.” Nathan shoves at Sam’s shoulder but Sam easily fends him off. Nathan folds his arms over his chest, and he’s not  _ sulking,  _ but - “I don’t know why I have a  _ duck _ on my side. You’d better not have talked me into this.”

“Oh come on, I wouldn’t do that to you,” Sam says, unwrapping the bandages around his middle. “Let’s see what I have this time, him? Maybe that’ll shed some light on - huh.” Sam frowns as the last of the bandages come off.

Nathan stares. 

“Sam,” he breathes as his brother traces his fingers over an identical duck tattoo. It’s very artistic, beautiful in its own way, even, but it’s a freaking  _ duck.  _ “Sam, what did we  _ do _ last night?”

“I, uh.” Sam drops his hand and frowns, staring over Nathan’s head. “Okay, think back. We were at the Blue Whale, right?”

“Yeah, we were celebrating your new ship, we were talking about what flag you’re going to fly and you said…oh no.” Sam drops his eyes to Nathan’s and Nathan can see by the mounting horror in them that he’s followed Nathan’s thoughts exactly.

“Samuel Drake,” Nathan hisses, climbing to his knees and shoving his finger in Sam’s face. “Samuel  _ Drake _ , you said you were going to use the  _ drake rampant _ , you said it was  _ our name _ , you said  _ why don’t we get one too _ , it’s our name, right? Right? Well, guess what - _ this is the wrong fucking drake, Sam. _ ”

Sam’s eyes dip to the incriminating duck on Nathan’s side.

“Well, uh.” He rubs the back of his head. “It’s. I mean  _ technically _ it’s correct, and hey,” he smiles winningly but Nathan has known Sam his whole life and he can see right through that bullshit. “Now I know to be more specific at the flag-maker, yeah?”

Nathan flops back down on the bed and throws an arm over his eyes. “I hate you.”

“No you don’t.” Sam still sounds too amused by all of this and Nathan kicks him. “ _ Ow. _ ”

“ _ Every _ round is on you the next time we go out.” Sam grumbles but he acquiesces.

“ _ And _ you’re telling Elena.”

“Hey, now -”

Nathan lifts his arm a little and glares. “ _ Duck _ , Sam.”

Sam sighs. “Fine. She already thinks I”m a terrible influence.” Then he brightens. “Hey, maybe  _ she’s  _ into waterfowl?”

Nathan kicks him again.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me at [ThirtySixSaveFiles](http://thirtysixsavefiles.tumblr.com) on Tumblr!


End file.
